Tatiana
by Lollipop456
Summary: Set eight years after the film, Anya and Dimitri have been living a life of contentment with their daughter Tatiana. When word comes that Russian citizens are possibly visiting Poland, the couple decide to flee to Paris. It is a decision they will come to regret.
1. Prologue

Russia was no longer safe. Perhaps if it were just the two of them still, they would be able to live a quiet life in a cottage on the coast of Saint Petersburg. It was populated certainly, but close knit enough that secrets would be kept. Then came Tatiana and it was no longer about trying to live a cautious, quiet life. It was about keeping their daughter safe.

So, the choice for Anya and Dimitri to move to Poland was the best one. Not the easiest one, but the best. At least Poland was free of Bolsheviks and their admirers. Russia, however, was still Anya's home. She had been born there, her parents had ruled over it. Yes, she would sorely miss it, but Tatiana was the most precious thing in her life. Motherhood trumped homesickness.

They chose to reside in a flat in Krakow. It was small, but it did have comfortable beds and running water. It would have to be home. It had to be home for Tatiana's sake.


	2. Chapter 2

Days turned into weeks and weeks into months and the months into years. Before Anya and Dimitri could turn around, Tatiana was seven years old and both parents could vouch that her looks came from her mother. Although her eyes were brown like Dimitri's, Tatiana had inherited her mother's red hair and the shape of her face and eyes. Had it not been for two bottom teeth missing, she would easily be mistaken for her mother at that age.

As Tatiana's eighth birthday drew closer, Anya thought it would be best to buy her a special gift. There was a quaint pawn shop at the center of the town, and the elderly owner had sold Anya and Dimitri some valuable items at decent prices. Perhaps he would allow Anya to splurge a little.

Anya wrapped a shawl around her head, a habit that had formed out of paranoia, and set off into town. When she arrived at the pawn shop, she found the owner Mr. Niemec dusting off shelves. The sound of the little bell above the door startled him and he dropped his feather duster.

"Sorry, Mr. Niemec." Anya said.

"That damn bell. Pardon my language, Pani Vankin, but it was my wife's idea to install that misery. I could do without it. What a nuisance."

"Mr. Niemec, I came here to buy a present."

"A present? Ah, that's right! Little Tati's birthday is in two days. I keep forgetting. Will you be buying a doll like last year?"

"Actually, do you have any lockets? You see, I had one when I was eight and-"

Mr. Niemec held up his hands. "Say no more, I understand. Tradition is tradition, I always say. Let's see what we have."

Mr. Niemec adjusted his spectacles and ducked behind the counter. When he straightened back up, he had a large jewelry box. He opened the compartment that held lockets.

"I say, go with gold. That child is good as it anyway. Bronze looks like rust wearing makeup."

Anya giggled and looked over the lockets. "So, any customers this week?"

"None whatsoever. Just that old gossip Pani Kowalski. Do you know what she had the gall to say? That a Russian family who aided the Bolsheviks during the revolution, that they are coming here. Ack, what a paranoid old b-"

Before Mr. Niemec could finish, Anya had ran out of the pawn shop. The old man shrugged and went back to dusting.

Anya ran all the way back to the flat, only catching her breath when the front door was closed.

"Mama?"

Anya jumped at the sound of Tatiana's voice. Tatiana sat on the sofa, with Pooka resting on her lap.

"Oh Tati, don't scare Mama like that." Anya sighed.

"What's wrong, Mama? Why is your face so white?" Tatiana asked.

"I-I'm just tired, sweetheart. Why don't you listen to the radio for awhile?"

Tatiana eyes lit up. "You mean it, Mama? You say it makes you sad sometimes."

"I'll be in the next room with Papa. Go on."

Tatiana giggled and turned on the radio as a swing song came on. She began dancing around the room with Pooka in her arms.

Anya ducked into her bedroom and found Dimitri shaving his face. As her eyes welled with her tears, she ran to him and hugged him.

"Come on, I can't be that bad at shaving." Dimitri chuckled.

Anya clung onto Dimitri and let out a small whimper.

"Anya, what is it? What's wrong?"

Anya looked up at Dimitri. "Mrs. Kowalski said that a family of Bolshevik supporters is moving here. W-What if it's true? Dimitri, they might be after me. If they find us, then they could-"

"Slow down. We don't even know if it's true. Mrs. Kowalski is our local gossip, she could be making it up."

"Who makes up a story like that, Dimitri?" Anya asked grimly.

Dimitri sighed. "You want us to move again."

"No. I want us to go where we should have from the very beginning. To Paris. Where our family is. Grandmama, Sophie, and Vlad. With people who know us and will help us." Anya said firmly.

Dimitri opened his mouth to argue, but the sound of Tatiana's laughter stopped him. If there really was Bolshevik supporters coming to Poland, then there was a chance they would recognize Anya. While Anya and him could handle that sort of punishment; they could never imagine putting Tatiana through that.

"When do we leave?" Dimitri asked.


	3. Chapter 3

The family traveled to the nearest train station. As soon as Anya saw all the people coming and going, all the terrible memories of what had happened to her came flooding back. The urgency and absolute panic as people rushed to board and escape the violence that had befallen Russia. Then, Anya's grandmama reaching for her hand and Anya herself trying not to let go, and then...

"Tati?" Anya took both of Tatiana's hands and kneeled in front of her. "No matter what happens, do not let go of my hand. Do you understand me?"

Tatiana smiled and nodded, grabbing onto Anya's hand. The family fell into the extremely long ticket line.

Tatiana looked around her, fascinated by everything and everyone. It was the sound of an accordion though that drew her away from her parents. Releasing Anya's hand, Tatiana followed the sound.

Sitting on a bench that stood in the corner, was a man dressed from head to toe in rags; he had a long white beard and a hat pulled over his eyes so that one could clearly see his face; of course Tatiana wasn't really paying attention to the old man, but to the way he played his accordion.

"You like the music, don't you?" The old man spoke slowly and with an accent that Tatiana didn't recongize.

"It's pretty."

"It's a tune from Russia. That is where I was born." The old man said.

"Mama and Papa were born there to! They had to leave though because they were scared."

From beneath his hat, Tatiana saw the old man was smiling.

"That is why I left to. It was not safe. Not since the Czar died."

Tatiana sat down and huddled her knees together. "What's a Czar?"

"Do you like fairy tales? Well, a Czar is no different than a king in fairy tales."

"What happened to the Czar?" Tatiana asked.

The old man sighed. "I can't really say that, my dear; but I will say that he's gone to a better place; him and his emperess and their children. All but one."

The man finally set his accordion down and leaned forward. "You look like her. The missing princess. Just like her. What pretty red hair you have."

Tatiana giggled. "Thank you."

"So much like her."

"Can you play more music, please?" Tatiana asked.

"Certainly, but I must be boarding my train soon. How about I play you music as I walk to my train?"

Tatiana nodded eaglery and followed the old man as he played the accordion. Just as the Pied Piper had led the children away from their town, so did the old man.

The old man stepped onto the train and bowed. "So, are you ready then, my princess?"

"Princess? I-I'm not a princess." Tatiana said.

"Yes, you are. You must be. You have to be."

The old man finally revealed his face to Tatiana. Where his right eye was suppose to be was an empty socket and his right ear was practically burned off. Tatiana gasped and turned to run away, but the old man took hold of her wrist. Her screams were drowned out by the scream of the train's whistle.

Anya suddenly felt frightened. She looked down and saw that Tatiana was no longer with her. When the whistle stopped, Anya heard her daughter's screams. Looking up, she saw Tatiana being forced into a passenger cart.

"Tatiana!" Anya screamed.

Anya ran after the train with Dimitri hot on her heels. Tatiana was pounding on the windows, screaming for them. She reached her little hand out one of the open windows and Dimitri reached for it. Then, he let go. In fact, he stopped running all together and fell to his knees. Fresh blood was staining his shirt. In a matter of seconds, he was unconcious. Anya ran to his side and watched helplessly as the train finally pulled out of the station.

When Dimitri woke, it was to a hot and sharp pain. He looked up to find Vlad hovering over him with a look of concern.

"V-Vlad?" Dimitri croaked out.

"Lay quietly. The doctor is almost done." Vlad said.

Dimitri looked ahead to find a doctor stitching up his wound. As the needle jabbed at him again, Dimitri inhaled sharply and grabbed onto Vlad's hand and squeezed it.

"Damn, this hurts!" Dimitri said as his teeth clenched together.

"You're lucky that the bullet passed through." Vlad said.

"I was shot?"

All at once, Dimitri had remembered what had happened. Someone had taken Tatiana and Dimitri had tried to rescue her when the darkness came.

"I have to find Tati." Dimitri tried to sit up but Vlad gently pushed him against the pillow.

"You aren't going anywhere, least not for a few weeks."

"You're very lucky that a nurse had seen what had happened. She stitched the wound as best as she could and then helped you onto the train for Paris." Vlad said.

"How long have I been out?" Dimitri asked.

Vlad shrugged. "A day and a half. The doctor said it was probably from the blood that you lost."

"How's Anya?"

"As well as expected. Her grandmama is with her now."

The doctor finally set down the needle and Dimitri sighed in relief and released Vlad's hand.

"The stitches will hold and barring any infection you should have a smooth recovery. That is, if you stay in bed and take it easy." The doctor explained.

"Take it easy? My daughter is out there! I have to find her!" Dimitri argued.

"What good would you be to her if you became sick, hm?"

Dimitri was about to protest, but the doctor's knowing look silenced him. He knew he was right; he would not be able to help Tatiana in any way unless he was fully recovered. The doctor finished packing his bag and left the room.

"Do we know anything?" Dimitri asked.

"Only that it was an old man that took her. The nurse had seen him talking to Tati."

"What would an old man want with a little girl?"

As the question left Dimitri's mouth, the answer suddenly occured to him. In a matter of seconds, he became deathly pale and turned on his side to get sick to his stomach.


End file.
